[Yami no Matsuei] "Emotional Vampire" (PG-13)
Author's Note: Written for < lj user="10_kink_prompts">'s "emo kink". Muraki/Tsuzuki in an alternate universe where Tsuzuki is serving as Muraki's companion.
Tears. They seemed to come so easily for Tsuzuki, at so many things: when he saw something especially beautiful, when something delighted him intensely, or when someone treated him with especial kindness, a pearl-like tear would show at the corner of his eye, in contrast to his cheery smile.
And of course, his tears came in profusion when Muraki handled him with particular roughness, or when someone treated Tsuzuki with disdain or exasperation or anger. In the latter case, he might not show his sorrow quickly, but later, when he had put some distance between himself and the cause of his pain, the tears would come freely, leaving his violet eyes looking more pitiable than ever. Even in his tears, he would try to pretend he felt no sorrow, but Muraki, with his ability to sense the energy in one's emotions, could read Tsuzuki's sorrow, no matter how he tried to hide it.
"How could someone treat someone so beautiful so hard?" Muraki would croon, reaching out to comfort the younger-looking man. Early in their relationship as keeper and pet, Tsuzuki would try to push his master awy, but now he willingly and readily accepted Muraki's arm about his shoulders or hand on his back.
At times, Muraki would cause those tears, something which would make him pause in his practiced and rehearsed cruelty to reach in and caress Tsuzuki's cheek, wiping away the shinigami's tears before raising his now moist fingertips to his own lips and licking away the drops. Sometimes he would stop his cruelties entirely, laying down his flogger or setting aside his blades, to kiss away the tears and soothe his pet. Though once Tsuzuki had started to calm down, Muraki would chuckle deep in his throat and remark on how Tsuzuki's tears tasted both bitter and sweet at once.
Some nights, the reverse would happen: a difficult case or a procedure that had involved complications would leave Muraki in a grey mood. Thus, Tsuzuki would return the favor, sitting by his master's feet, massaging them or laying his head on the taller man's lap, letting Muraki run a hand through his hair, his palm warm to indicate that he had started to nibble on Tsuzuki's energy till it calmed him down and he could rest better. Nights like that, Tsuzuki might awaken in the night to find that his master had wound his arms and legs about Tsuzuki's torso, his head burrowed against his pet's shoulders, as if seeking consolation and comfort in the shinigami's touch.
"Is this why you keep me close?" Tsuzuki asked one night, when he awakened to find Muraki nestled against him.
Muraki stirred, opening his good eye, then turning over onto his back, sliding one arm out from under Tsuzuki's body. "Hmm? Did you say something?" he asked.
"Yeah, I asked if this is why you keep me close?" Tsuzuki replied, propping himself up on one elbow. "You once admitted you use emotions as a way to feed on someone's energy."
"You're a clever one, Mister Tsuzuki, much smarter than you seem," Muraki admitted.
"So you get off on my pain, as much as you do on my 'beauty' that you're always raving about," Tsuzuki grumbled, sitting up.
Muraki folded his arms behind his head. "It eases your pain, does it not?"
"Well, yes, it does, but... you inflict it," Tsuzuki argued.
"Only within the parameters of safe words," Muraki replied.
"There is that..." Tsuzuki admitted.
"But you know that it is on the emotions and through it the energy of others that my life depends upon," Muraki replied. "And you are fond of saying that food should taste good."
"That's true," Tsuzuki replied. He turned to look at Muraki. "So, if you feed off people's emotions and the energy can flow out through the way someone expresses their emotions, how come you get all mopey sometimes?"
"I may be more then human, but there is still that part of me that remains human," Muraki admitted, his voice quiet, even sorrowful. "A part that I am loathe to keep and which I fear losing."
Tsuzuki laid himself down on the pillows and draped his arm over Muraki's chest. "You keep that, you hear?" he said. "I won't have you changing into something else. You make my blood boil still, but I don't want to lose you."
Muraki kissed the side of Tsuzuki's head. "And this is why I chose you as my pet and companion: you can see me as I am, better than I can," he said. "You see with both eyes and you see with perfect vision."
"You making a poem again? Because you just went all metaphoric there with the talk about eyes and seeing," Tsuzuki asked.
"I felt inspired, and there are times when one has no other way to express what rises in the heart, than in a poem," Muraki said.
Tears. They seemed to come so easily for Tsuzuki, at so many things: when he saw something especially beautiful, when something delighted him intensely, or when someone treated him with especial kindness, a pearl-like tear would show at the corner of his eye, in contrast to his cheery smile.
And of course, his tears came in profusion when Muraki handled him with particular roughness, or when someone treated Tsuzuki with disdain or exasperation or anger. In the latter case, he might not show his sorrow quickly, but later, when he had put some distance between himself and the cause of his pain, the tears would come freely, leaving his violet eyes looking more pitiable than ever. Even in his tears, he would try to pretend he felt no sorrow, but Muraki, with his ability to sense the energy in one's emotions, could read Tsuzuki's sorrow, no matter how he tried to hide it.
"How could someone treat someone so beautiful so hard?" Muraki would croon, reaching out to comfort the younger-looking man. Early in their relationship as keeper and pet, Tsuzuki would try to push his master awy, but now he willingly and readily accepted Muraki's arm about his shoulders or hand on his back.
At times, Muraki would cause those tears, something which would make him pause in his practiced and rehearsed cruelty to reach in and caress Tsuzuki's cheek, wiping away the shinigami's tears before raising his now moist fingertips to his own lips and licking away the drops. Sometimes he would stop his cruelties entirely, laying down his flogger or setting aside his blades, to kiss away the tears and soothe his pet. Though once Tsuzuki had started to calm down, Muraki would chuckle deep in his throat and remark on how Tsuzuki's tears tasted both bitter and sweet at once.
Some nights, the reverse would happen: a difficult case or a procedure that had involved complications would leave Muraki in a grey mood. Thus, Tsuzuki would return the favor, sitting by his master's feet, massaging them or laying his head on the taller man's lap, letting Muraki run a hand through his hair, his palm warm to indicate that he had started to nibble on Tsuzuki's energy till it calmed him down and he could rest better. Nights like that, Tsuzuki might awaken in the night to find that his master had wound his arms and legs about Tsuzuki's torso, his head burrowed against his pet's shoulders, as if seeking consolation and comfort in the shinigami's touch.
"Is this why you keep me close?" Tsuzuki asked one night, when he awakened to find Muraki nestled against him.
Muraki stirred, opening his good eye, then turning over onto his back, sliding one arm out from under Tsuzuki's body. "Hmm? Did you say something?" he asked.
"Yeah, I asked if this is why you keep me close?" Tsuzuki replied, propping himself up on one elbow. "You once admitted you use emotions as a way to feed on someone's energy."
"You're a clever one, Mister Tsuzuki, much smarter than you seem," Muraki admitted.
"So you get off on my pain, as much as you do on my 'beauty' that you're always raving about," Tsuzuki grumbled, sitting up.
Muraki folded his arms behind his head. "It eases your pain, does it not?"
"Well, yes, it does, but... you inflict it," Tsuzuki argued.
"Only within the parameters of safe words," Muraki replied.
"There is that..." Tsuzuki admitted.
"But you know that it is on the emotions and through it the energy of others that my life depends upon," Muraki replied. "And you are fond of saying that food should taste good."
"That's true," Tsuzuki replied. He turned to look at Muraki. "So, if you feed off people's emotions and the energy can flow out through the way someone expresses their emotions, how come you get all mopey sometimes?"
"I may be more then human, but there is still that part of me that remains human," Muraki admitted, his voice quiet, even sorrowful. "A part that I am loathe to keep and which I fear losing."
Tsuzuki laid himself down on the pillows and draped his arm over Muraki's chest. "You keep that, you hear?" he said. "I won't have you changing into something else. You make my blood boil still, but I don't want to lose you."
Muraki kissed the side of Tsuzuki's head. "And this is why I chose you as my pet and companion: you can see me as I am, better than I can," he said. "You see with both eyes and you see with perfect vision."
"You making a poem again? Because you just went all metaphoric there with the talk about eyes and seeing," Tsuzuki asked.
"I felt inspired, and there are times when one has no other way to express what rises in the heart, than in a poem," Muraki said.